


Something Old, Something New

by Evilicing



Category: Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: All The Ships, Alternate Timelines, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Feels, Gen, Mild Language, Self-Acceptance, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23023396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilicing/pseuds/Evilicing
Summary: Every choice you make can secure the future and influence the past. Worlds branch where the tiniest decisions are made. But right now, no other timeline compares to the one where her brother drops the veil over her face, locks arms with her, and smiles."Now let's go out there and make your dumbass fiancé the luckiest man in the whole damn world."
Relationships: Kurashiki Akane & Kurashiki Aoi, Kurashiki Akane/Tenmyouji Junpei, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	Something Old, Something New

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write about this marriage since the day I was born

" _Hey._ "

There's a familiar voice at the door just as Akane sprays one last layer of hairspray over the intricate updo she's been trying her hardest to preserve; a beautiful French braid circles around the top of her head like a crown, and it'd taken three or four different people to finally perfect it to its current form, complete only with strands of purple orchids wefted carefully through each braid. It's absolutely stunning, but now her scalp is _aching_ because of it. 

...Better give it one more spritz, just to be safe.

" _Akane?_ "

"C-Come in," she calls out, so shaky that she barely recognizes her own voice—her nerves have made sure of that, and a quick glance at her exquisite reflection confirms that she _looks_ just as different as she sounds.

The door cracks open to reveal her brother, almost as equally unrecognizable in his fancy tux and neatly slicked-back hair. It makes Akane smile to know that he's put so much effort into dressing up for her on her special day, though knowing Aoi, it's probably a bit for himself, too. Aoi would never admit it, but he loves any opportunity to prove he can, and _does_ , in fact, clean up quite well when asked (read: forced) to.

But this is the first time he's seen her since this morning, and Aoi lets his eyes speak for him at the sight of her.

"Holy shit, sis—" he beams, frozen in place.

Akane feels her cheeks heat up, bracing herself for whatever praise will follow. She needs to get used to this, she knows, because if she can't accept flattery from her own _brother_ , of all people, then she'll never be able to handle all the attention today—

"—There's enough hairspray in here to fucking _kill_ somebody, can we open up a window or something?"

 _Oh_. Her eyes instantly lose their sparkle and drop to the floor, even more embarrassed now that she'd misunderstood. "Oh, s-sure..." She pouts at him, squirming in the itchy but indisputably _radiant_ wedding dress.

Had he really not even noticed how different she looked...?

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, you're beyond gorgeous—jeez," Aoi grins, holding out a hand as he crosses the small dressing room to meet her; Akane gingerly takes his hand, and he spins her in place. The fluffiness of the tulle on her dress feels like it has a body of its own when she moves too fast. "You nervous?"

"N-No, I'm... perfectly fine." Akane gulps. Each time she tries to fake a smile, she loses it through the traitorous chattering of her teeth. 

"If it makes you feel any better, last time I saw Junpei he was sweatin' like a nun tangled up in a damn cucumber patch." Akane's eyes betray her at the sudden mention of his name, and Aoi quickly looks away once he realizes it. "Oh, come on, don't look at me like that... everything's gonna be _fine_. I'll be with you the whole time."

"What if I cry?" Akane asks lamely. Admittedly, they both already know she'll be crying before she even makes it to the chapel.

"That's what the veil's for, ain't it?"

"What if Junpei changed his mind and already left without—"

"I'll drag his sorry ass back to the altar _myself_ ," Aoi says through gritted teeth, without missing a beat.

"But what if I lose my balance and trip in front of everyone?"

"I'll create a big fucking diversion to distract everyone, Akane, _trust_ me—I got this covered, okay?!" Aoi looks more impatient than annoyed. "I feel like surviving this wedding isn't the craziest thing we've ever tried to pull off, you know."

There's no one in the world who can comfort her quite like Aoi. She squeezes his hand tighter, stealing one more look at her reflection in the mirror over her shoulder. Still, even with Aoi's unending support and guidance, it had taken nearly all of her courage to even commit to _buying_ the dress in the first place...

Was she really ready for commitment to something even greater...? Something as normal and mundane as... getting _married_?

Marrying Junpei Tenmyouji has been Akane's dream as far back as she could remember. 

Junpei's existence is Akane's motivation for nearly everything she does. As silly as it sounds in her head, there's simply no other way to describe him except to call him her first and only love. She doesn't even have the words to name all the ways Junpei has sundered and claimed her heart from the ruins of her childhood—in every last timeline, in every last universe—and that, on its own, frightens Akane Kurashiki more than anything she's ever endured. Worse than fire, suffering, even _death_. How she feels about Junpei is a wonderful, liberating, _terrifying_ thing.

There's not a single moment she isn't thinking about him, and even now, Akane catches herself wondering if there's anyone pep-talking Junpei right now the same way Aoi is trying to comfort her. She imagines him pacing back and forth in his own dressing room, monologuing to himself like she so often catches him doing when he thinks he's alone.

There's no doubt about it. There's nothing about Junpei she doesn't love. Not a single reason she _shouldn't_ spend the rest of her life with him.

But...

Aoi must confuse her silence for something else entirely, because he waits for her to snap out of her daydream before voicing his concern. 

"Hey, you're not... having seconds thoughts, are you?" he finally asks, frowning. Was that a hint of disappointment on his face? It disappears from his features before she can study it. "I kinda thought you'd look... I dunno... happier?"

Akane suddenly feels dizzy, and she wants to blame it entirely on how tight her corset is laced. "Happy—" she stops herself. "Is that really how I'm supposed to feel...?"

She picks at the embroidery on her bodice, trying to appear unfazed while the tears start to well up in her eyes. 

"Uh—" Her reply takes Aoi by surprise, and he stammers in response. "You're... not happy?"

"No, I... I _am_... I think." She shakes her head, as if to make sense of the thoughts inside of it. Why does she hesitate? "...I don't know."

They stand there in silence, afraid to even breathe. Aoi is the first to speak up.

"Shit," he says under his breath. "Akane, what—what's going on?"

"I don't know—I just— _Junpei_ —"

"What the _hell_ did he do?"

"Nothing, it's not—!"

"Because if he did something to fuck this up, I swear to _god_ I'll—"

" _Aoi_." Akane takes a deep breath. "Junpei didn't do anything," she speaks up just in time, considering her brother had been dangerously close to storming out the door for Junpei's head. "He's not the problem... it's me."

Aoi raises an eyebrow. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm the problem, Aoi... my _own_ problem." And that's when her voice finally cracks. "God, why am I _always_ like this?"

Aoi clearly wasn't expecting her to be like this, either, because for a man of many words—most of them colorful and needing extensive censorship—he's painfully quiet. 

"Junpei deserves so much better than me." There. She finally said it, the reality of the words too harsh to fathom now that they were spoken out loud. Akane bows her head, unable to meet her brother's questioning eyes. "All day I've been asking myself what I'm doing here, pretending to be Junpei's bride when I should be too ashamed to even show him my _face_...! It doesn't feel right... I've put him through so many terrible things—things I've never even told you. I've seen him die for me so many times, murdered right before my eyes, I've seen him in _pieces—_ "

"Akane—"

"And here we are, a world where everyone can finally be happy, a history we've fought so hard for, and I'm _still_ at the center of it, selfishly claiming all this happiness for myself...! I'm so scared that someone is going to finally stand up, and tell me that I don't deserve—"

If Aoi hadn't chosen that moment to pull her into his arms, she might've fallen to the floor in tears—and Alice would have killed Akane for sure if she'd ruined her make-up before the ceremony had even started.

"You deserve this." Aoi's voice is stern, nearly a whisper. "Don't think for one second you don't—and fuck _anyone_ who thinks otherwise. Don't do this. Please. Not today." 

Akane doesn't even care that she's close to rubbing her make-up all over Aoi's clean, freshly-pressed black suit; she wants to bury her face further into his shoulder, hoping that even just a tiny part of her could disappear forever. 

"Why...?" she asks, and it comes out as a muffled sniff, like an incredulous child looking for answers—no, she's _worse_ than a child right now. She's never felt so pathetic. " _Why_?" 

"Because you're not the only one who's happy here today, Akane... for fuck's sake, what about Junpei? You forget about him? And your friends—everyone who's out there, right now, on the edge of their goddamn seats just waiting for you to come out there and walk down the aisle? You're telling me they're all here because they think you're selfish for wanting to be a _normal_ girl for once in your life?" He squeezes her tighter. "I don't think so."

Akane is barely able to hold back the new onslaught of tears. He's completely biased as her brother, but she wants nothing more than to believe his words. 

"A-And, well, what about me? I'm not _completely_ dissatisfied with the situation, you know, I—" Aoi clears his throat awkwardly when Akane goes completely still. "You could be marrying some dipshit that I approve of even _less_ , so... fuck it, I-I'm happy, too, okay?!"

Just a moment ago, she'd been ready to bolt from the room and never look back. Now, the next thing Akane knows, she's struggling hard not to giggle against her brother's suit, praying that her tears won't escape as tears of laughter now that she's able to smile again. Aoi probably thinks she's still crying, but it doesn't matter.

"I've watched you run away from Junpei too many times—I've watched your heart break as you just _accept_ it, knowing you'll never see him again. Pretending it's for the best."

How Aoi knows _exactly_ how she feels, she'll never know, but he says it so confidently that Akane fights back a shiver; maybe it's not his insight, but something else entirely that sells her. Like he knows exactly what it's like to leave someone behind.

"Well... we're not running away anymore. Not this time. You understand me?" Aoi pauses to take a breath. "You're going out there, marrying Junpei, and you're going to finally take happiness by the balls—and you're gonna make it your _bitch_."

When she doesn't respond, Aoi lets go of her and pulls away completely. There's a challenge in his eyes now, and Akane isn't sure she can meet it head-on. There are so many things she wants to say to her brother, words she's always _tried_ to say, but never has. It's not that she's scared to; try as he may sometimes, there's nothing _truly_ intimidating about Aoi as a person, once you know him well enough to know his defenses are almost entirely for show. But it's the silent, unsaid words between them that have a power Akane should've known better than to underestimate in the first place. They've been through far too much together for that. She doesn't need to say it. Aoi knows it, too.

This time, too, those words are lost somewhere in a delicate sigh.

"Aoi..." Akane whispers, "I think... that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." She wipes away a petulant tear as she breaks away to crack a grin at him. "Maybe I should add that last part to my vows," she giggles to herself. " _'Junpei, I promise to always take our marriage by the balls, and make you my bitch.'_ "

" _A-Akane—_ " Aoi gapes at her like he's never heard such blatant profanity before in his entire life. "That's... uh, not what I said, but—oh well, that's the spirit, I guess." Maybe it's just because she's smiling again, but Aoi looks relieved beyond words. He, of course, shrugs and rolls his eyes to pretend otherwise. "So? You got this now, or what?"

Akane takes a deep breath, fanning herself. "Yeah... thanks. I really needed that, and I'm so sorry for acting like this—I feel so stupid, ugh, I don't know what I'd do without you!"

No... Akane knows exactly what she'd do without Aoi. She's done it hundreds of times, each one more excruciating than the last. Every other timeline without him is certain death. To lose him is _hell_. Forcing herself to adapt without him, to complete her mission, because that's what he'd _want_ her to do even in his abscence... it's—it's—

" _Bullshit_." His teasing voice snaps her out of her thoughts before she can even finish them. "Look, I was trying to save all the sentimental crap for after the wedding," he changes the subject, his pale, blue eyes darting around the room to avoid eye contact. "But I guess what I really wanna say is—"

They lock eyes the moment someone knocks loudly on the door, signaling that it was _time_. Aoi bites his lip, chewing on it until the right words finally come to him.

"—You're fucking beautiful right now, Mom and Dad would be so proud of you, and—and I love you lots, sis. I hope you know that."

Every choice you make can secure the future and influence the past. Worlds branch where the tiniest decisions are made. But right now, no other timeline compares to the one where her brother drops the veil over her face, locks arms with her, and smiles.

"Now let's go out there and make your dumbass fiancé the luckiest man in the whole damn world."

And now Akane can accept Aoi's smile without a single doubt.

* * *

Even though the veil obscures most of her vision, nothing could have truly prepared Akane for the moment she sees what's waiting for her when she starts her journey down the aisle. 

They hadn't wanted a big ceremony, only something small and meaningful they could share with their closest friends and family. Thankfully, they'd agreed on nearly everything regarding the wedding itself—the only thing they even vaguely disagreed on was an expensive open bar, but somehow Junpei had convinced Aoi to chip in when the estimate for the wedding came in and Akane had wanted to cut corners on trivialities.

But now that Akane sees it with her own eyes, there's not a thing about this place that seems like any corners had been cut in the slightest.

It's just like Aoi said it would be—everyone is _waiting_ on her. Some of them, thankfully, appear to be just as emotional as she is; Clover lets out a gasp that she probably meant to keep silent, bouncing happily in her seat once she sees Akane's dress. Light is beside her, wearing an extravagant tuxedo that complements Aoi's almost perfectly, right down to the light blue boutonniere pinned to his lapel. Of course, Akane wishes Light could _see_ her right now—see Aoi, too—but Clover is undoubtedly relaying every last detail to him that she possibly can, because he's smiling just as brightly as she is.

Hazuki and Seven are beside them, and perhaps it's more strange to see Seven dolled up so much than it is to see Hazuki so completely _stunning_. Hazuki's daughters are here, too, upon Akane's request, though she'd only formally met one of them when they were kids. They make such a beautiful family, just as much as Phi, Sigma, and Diana do when Akane's eyes travel over to them. Diana is already dabbing gently at her eyes, something Akane wishes _she_ could do, because the tears are already starting to brim uncomfortably over her lower eyelids. Carlos is beside them, a literal sight for sore eyes in the crowd of people Akane hadn't expected to see here at all.

All of them... they were here for her...?

And then, her misty eyes catch sight of the one person Akane had both dreaded and _craved_ to see ever since she woke up this morning—the one person whose jaw drops the most upon seeing her, when their eyes meet in a moment that comes much too soon for either of them to process. 

Junpei... 

He's everything Akane had dreamed he'd be today—handsome, perfect, and from the looks of it, just as nervous as she is; he nearly loses his balance when she gives him an innocent smile through her veil. She decides to focus her eyes on the delicate corsage he wears over his left breast-pocket that matches her own. She'll use it as a reference point to keep her focus, if only so that she doesn't lose her balance herself.

Akane allows the rest of her composure to crumble completely now that she's here, though, embracing the warm tears that dribble down her cheeks. She'd tried so hard to hold them in, but what's the point now?

She's _ready_.

Out of the corner of her eye, she looks over at Aoi for assurance. She wants to forever memorize the peaceful expression he wears as he walks with her through the nave of the chapel where Junpei and the marriage official are waiting for them. Akane feels something stir in her heart, an unnamable presence she wants to name nostalgia; Akane has seen him smile like this once before, when they drove in complacent silence through the Nevada desert. When he sees her watching him, he allows his smile to grow until it's so warm that it reaches his eyes. There's a message in them, somewhere, that isn't meant to be deciphered. It just simply... _is_ , and Akane doesn't question it, in fear of losing it forever.

Thankfully, her feet do the rest of the work on their own.

When they finally make it the altar, a shaky hand reaches out to her, a hand she's held many times—but never like _this_. Junpei grins like the goofy grade-schooler Akane remembers laughing and playing with, all those years ago. A time _before_ she was swallowed into a hell that consumed her piece by piece, until _that_ Akane ceased to exist at all.

Well, until now.

Aoi nods at her as he slowly disentangles their arms; she doesn't want to let go of him at all, but Junpei is still waiting for her to take hold of his hand. Everything makes sense when she grabs it, surprising them both with her newly-found courage; Aoi was right... she can't run away this time. 

And why would she want to?

There's nothing but happiness waiting for her when she finally swears herself to Junpei Tenmyouji in front of everyone, and the ring slides effortlessly onto her finger just before her veil is lifted and their lips meet. 

Akane used to believe she was born only to suffer alongside a select few that shared her cruel, complex fate. An abandoned piece of a doomed puzzle that would never fit into anything but misery.

But now, she knows she was born for this moment alone—the moment she hears her new name, paired with her husband's, and just like a perfectly-timed morphogenetic jump, everything around her shifts once again.

* * *

Akane isn't sure if she's drunk on champagne or just the happiness of being surrounded by so many people here to celebrate something she'd almost foolishly ran away from. Junpei looks a bit too flushed to _not_ blame it on the alcohol, though, and he's already shed both his suit-coat and his bowtie without her even realizing it.

Closing his eyes as tightly as he can, Junpei reels back to throw Akane's garter, as per tradition, in the direction of the men surrounding their table. He decides to catch everyone off-guard and slingshot it at the last second, and it flies above them until it lands unceremoniously in the sea of hands.

It happens so fast that Akane doesn't actually see who catches it, though she hears the disgruntled aftermath from the guys who clearly _hadn't_ caught it and apparently had wanted to.

"Ah, there appears to be a bride in my future," Light says, deceptively blasé. He dangles the frilly garter from his finger. "Jealous, Aoi?"

Akane giggles to herself. Of course _Light_ , of all people, would catch it. More often than not, he graced the term blind luck with a whole new meaning.

"You wish," Aoi scoffs, flustered. "Or, wait, are you hinting you want me to put on a _wedding dress_ for you? Fucking weirdo."

"Oh, honey, you'd look _terrible_ in white lace." Hazuki's calm voice doesn't match the devious smile she flashes as she passes behind them. "Leave it to the pros, hmm?"

She proudly submits the bride's bouquet she'd caught earlier as evidence. Out of everyone here, Akane is secretly happy that it'd been Lotus who caught the flowers, though Seven had an altogether different reaction that involved him dashing off to the bar and chugging down another heaping glass of something that looked much stronger than champagne.

"Are you serious right now, you old bag? Because challenge accepted." Aoi crosses his arms over his chest. "I'll put on the fucking dress right now! Hell, I bet even Seven would look hotter wearing a wedding dress than _you_."

"A-All right, cut it out, you two—"

But even Seven's giant mountain of a body is hardly enough to pry them apart now.

"Take it _back_ , you little—!"

"A-Ahem, I'd, uh... like to make a toast." Junpei awkwardly taps his champagne glass, every bit a deer in the headlights when everyone turns to stare at him. "I... um... can't thank everyone enough for coming out here to... watch us... get married?" Junpei has never been eloquent, but Akane's heart swells all the same. He always knows exactly what to say. "...It's really nice to have us all together like this again without it being against our wills in some horrible, tragic death game though, a-am I right?"

A few inappropriate snickers echo in the crowd, and Akane places one of them as Clover; she can't be certain, but the other giggle had sounded a bit like _Sigma_ , of all people. Akane fights back an unsettling blush before taking a discreet jab at Junpei's foot underneath the table with her stiletto.

" _Ow_! O-Okay, well, that clearly sounded better in my head, and I _admit_ I didn't take the time to come up with a proper speech because... well, I don't think I have to tell you guys I've been a nervous wreck all week—and I'm a little tipsy right now—but a-anyways, that's not the point! I guess what I'm trying to say is... I love you guys. All of you." He blushes when he turns to Akane and smiles. "...Almost as much as I love Akane."

A collective _awww_ bursts from the crowd this time, and Akane returns his charming smile, raising her glass. Everyone else follows suit. 

"So... this is it. Here's to our promise. Th-The one we made in elementary school." Junpei is speaking only to Akane now, eyes beaming and full of happiness as he soaks in the sight of her. Even in a room full of people, all he sees is _her_. "W-We did it, Akane."

He tips his glass to clink against hers, and Akane can't stop the tears that begin to stream down her face—the tears she didn't know she even had _left_ from all the crying she's done today.

"And... I promise I'll make you happy for the rest of our lives, so... cheers?"

" _Cheers!"_ the crowd belts out in unison, drowned out only by the happy echoes that followed.

"And I promise to kick your ass if you ever hurt my sister," Aoi adds, under his breath but loud enough to be heard, winking at Akane when Junpei subsequently chokes on his champagne. " _Cheers_."

"Way to ruin the moment, Aoi!" Clover shrieks, still emotional and wiping tears from her eyes while simultaneously attacking Aoi with every bit of retaliation she could muster in her clunky pink heels; instead of intervening, Light calmly drinks his champagne like he hadn't noticed the commotion at all. Apparently even Alice knew better than to get involved.

Seven and Hazuki chuckle happily to themselves, admiring Junpei and Akane as they make a separate, silent toast just between the two of them—Junpei flashes Seven a quick thumbs up when Hazuki closes her eyes to down the rest of her champagne. Seven, in turn, proceeds to ignore him.

Carlos raises his glass, smirk none too subtle as he locks eyes with Junpei. "Congrats you two... maybe I should tell everyone about how I was lucky enough to witness your proposal _firsthand_..."

Junpei blushes so furiously Akane can't help but stifle a snort. "Oh, you shut your mouth, th-that was private, and you were _not_ supposed to eavesdrop—"

"Come on, Junpei, I was like—what? Ten feet away? And even a kid knows which hand is the _left_ hand..."

"I'm about to jump this damn table, Carlos—!"

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Phi shrugs, swirling her glass. "Or well, I guess I couldn't help but notice Akane had a new ring on her right hand when we left Dcom. Thought it was kind of weird, but..."

"Well, I think they're _adorable_ ," Diana swoons, glancing up at Sigma, who simply agrees with a shrug just as lazy as Phi's; still, Akane knows just how much he cares when he locks eyes with her and his expression softens to a gentle smile. Her and Sigma never needed words, anyways, and Akane prefers it that way.

All of them... they're like the family Akane never had, save her brother, who'd been by her side since the very beginning. It hadn't been easy, but all of these people had a hand in bringing about this reality. This future, a world so diverged from the previous history it barely felt real.

Akane steals a quick glance at Junpei through the commotion of the crowd, smiling when he notices her watching him quietly. 

_I love you, Jumpy,_ her telepathic voice interrupts his thoughts. She wants to tell him that she doesn't deserve him, that he's stupid for still loving her after all this time, but...

No. In this timeline, she is _allowed—_ allowed to be happy, and lose herself to every single second of it. 

She only has one mission left now:

Akane's going to finally take happiness by the balls. And she's going to make Junpei—

"Wh-What—hey, did you say something just now, Akane?" Junpei blurts from beside her, almost blushing.

...Maybe she should keep that part to herself, she decides with another sip of champagne, before accidentally projecting her thoughts to him any further. 


End file.
